So I was listening to Pandora while attempting to fall asleep this morning and Keith Urban's song "You Look Good in My Shirt" started playing. Which, of course, led my partially awake brain to create this (well at least the beginning of it). Hope you like it! And like always I wish I owned it, but I don't.
It was a weekend and Andy was off, something that was rare for a rookie's schedule. She was feeling energetic in a good and productive way. She had woken up with a bounce in her step and a twinkle in her eye that hadn't been there for the past few months. She had made a 180 degree shift at the end of the winter, including breaking up with Luke and moving out of the gorgeous house he'd bought and into her own smaller, cozier place. She liked living in the row house. It was just blocks from the station, maybe a five minute walk. But there was more to it than that. It was hers, and it felt like a permanent home. That was new for her. Her apartments in the past hadn't felt like this and Luke's house sure as hell hadn't. Maybe that's why when she woke up that morning she hadn't minded in the slightest that she had to spend this amazing day cleaning the place up.
However, by the time she was done cleaning and having two glasses of wine to wind down she realized it was five o'clock, and she hadn't gotten to enjoy the beautiful springtime weather at all. She knew she would need to eat something soon, which nixed the idea of going for a run. Well that settles it. I'll go to the store and get everything I need to make a homemade pizza. Then by the time it's ready the baseball game will be on, she thought with a satisfied smile.
She grabbed her shopping bag and headed out the door. It was a fifteen minute walk to the store so she'd at least get to experience spring in all its glory for a while.
Meanwhile, Sam was just dragging himself into his house. He caught his reflection in the glass as he opened the door. Man I look like crap. He sighed. Six months undercover could definitely do that to you. He hadn't shaved in the past couple of weeks and his hair looked greasy. In fact I look a lot like I did that day McNally tackled me in the alley, he mused. Oh don't go down that road again. She is the last person you need to be thinking about, now or ever. Remember, she moved in with Callaghan and you went undercover to escape. Yeah, yeah…. Lot of good that did…. He groaned.
He dropped his bag at the door and went to the kitchen to scrounge up something to eat. After about twenty minutes of relentless searching he finally conceded that there was nothing worth eating, or for that matter drinking, in his house. Well I guess I should go to the store before I sit down and never want to move again, he sighed and walked right back out the way the front door. He climbed in the truck and started driving to the nearest supermarket.
Andy wondered through the produce department. Absentmindedly picking up vegetables she could use as pizza toppings and fresh herbs. She always went through a few trying to pick the best. Mmmm…. Spring always brings out the best produce, she smiled already tasting the pizza warm from the oven and on her tongue.
That's when she spotted him. Well she wasn't exactly sure it was him. She was looking at the back of his head, but the man staring down the pre-mixed salads did look a lot like Sam from where she was standing. Except it can't be Sam. Sam's supposed to be undercover, her rational mind responded.
She decided she would wait in the least obvious way possible to catch a glimpse of his face. She didn't have long to wait. It wasn't even five minutes later that he turned glanced about the store without really looking at anything and moved on. He had decided that there was no way he was cooking tonight, and he wanted out of here quick so he'd come actually shop later.
Her breath caught in her chest. It's Sam. My Sam, she thought. Her heart was swelling with joy. There was no way he would be here in this supermarket so close to his home if he was still undercover. That meant that he was absolutely home safe, which was everything she had been hoping for for the last six months. Well not everything, she reminded herself. She had also been hoping that they would get together when he came back. She was over Luke, and everyday Sam had been gone had shown her another little reason she loved him. She had been imagining that he would show up on her doorstep and tell her he couldn't live without her the minute he got back, but he hadn't even called. Who am I kidding? He didn't even tell me he was leaving in the first place, she dejectedly thought. That had been the worst day of her life. Don't go back there, McNally, she gently reminded herself.
For a while she cautiously followed Sam through the store content just to be able to look at him. It was nice to be able to reassure herself that he was safe and well, even if he looked utterly exhausted and maybe a little dirty. A lot like that day in the alley actually. Sam wondered all the aisles, glancing everywhere, but didn't pick anything up. In fact he doesn't even seem inclined to pick anything up, she thought. Her curiosity had definitely been spiked.
When Sam got to the frozen foods section he stopped in front of the doors separating him from the frozen pizzas. This is the toughest decision I'm going to have to make tonight; he mentally psyched himself up for the challenge. Hell it was hard to even pick out a salad. When Andy saw what was captivating his attention an idea struck. Sam hadn't pulled off the totally romantic homecoming that she had dreamed about, but that didn't mean she couldn't do it for him.
She snuck up behind him and slipped her hands over his eyes. Sam tensed. His first instinct, after so long undercover, was to fight, but he reminded himself where he was and calmed down. "Who's this?" he snapped.
She knew he was testy but she wanted him to guess. So she simply stood there resolutely covering his eyes. He reached up to feel the hands blinding him. He knew they were small and definitely feminine when she placed them there, but his fingertips told him they were soft, with short nails, and no jewelry. Well that rules out my sister, since she always keeps her nails long. Not that she would be here anyway, even though I did call her yesterday to let her know that I'd be coming home. It also rules out any of the married or engaged women I know.
"Monica, if that's you…. I'm just really not in the mood for this," he grumbled. Andy dropped her hands. Had those two been together before he'd gone undercover again? She silently questioned her judgment about the prank and her feelings.
Sam spun around. "McNally…" The silence hung on the air for what seemed like forever. "That's me," she replied, not sure where all her earlier confidence and bravado had gone. "What are you doing here?" he asked accusingly. Don't tell me she's been coming all the way across town to be in "my space", he thought angrily. "I live a few blocks away now, Sam. This is the closest supermarket. I always shop here now."
"What about Luke? When I went away you two were playing house across town."
"Well lots of things change in six months, Sam. Like the fact that I broke it off with Luke and got my own place on this side of town." She's single, his mind practically jumped at the idea. That's not what she said, he had to remind himself to slow down. She was after all not very good for his mental health.
"Anyway, I noticed you're looking at pizzas. And a quick glance into your basket tells me you aren't in the mood for cooking, since you don't have anything that requires more than a minute of effort on your part. But I was here picking up the ingredients to make fresh, homemade pizza. You know the good kind?" she teased. "So if you want you can come over and share. I was planning on eating while I watched the game tonight." She hoped he'd take the deal. If the home cooked meal doesn't do it maybe the game will, she hoped.
"I just want to spend the night at home. My home," he said dismissing her offer. There is no way I can be around her tonight without jumping her bones, his mind realistically reminded him.
"Well then I can come over and cook at your place," she suggested. There is no way he is getting out of this one that easy, she grinned. Damn this woman is persistent. And there is something absolutely breathtaking about that smile, he thought. "Fine." He sighed. This is going to be a long night.